WILTON -- Late in the fourth quarter of Friday's game at Wilton High School, Darien coach Rob Trifone, despite his players' protests, opted to have his punter, Chris Smith, run out of the end zone for a safety.

Largesse was the only way the Warriors were going to light the scoreboard on this night.

Led by another swarming effort by one of the state's best defensive units, the Blue Wave overcame an error-prone offense to come away with a 14-2 victory.

Darien never seemed threatened despite turning the ball over four times and recovering two of its own fumbles, yet nursed a 7-0 lead for most of the game after scoring on the opening possession of the game.

The Blue Wave defense, which has allowed just 10 points in four games, was able to force four turnovers and sacked Wilton quarterback Sean Carroll four times.

"The score doesn't indicate how well we played," said Darien lineman Charlie Kunze, who drove Carroll into the turf on Wilton's final play, resulting in an interception by Scotty Waters. "If we don't turn the ball over we win by one or two more scores."

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Kunze's qualification, as the season nears the midway point, is the question that will determine whether the 4-0 Blue Wave are a good team with a great defense, or a legitimate title contender.

"It's very frustrating because it is something we work on, it's something we talk about," Darien coach Rob Trifone said of his team's two interceptions and two lost fumbles. "You can't play high championship level football and turn the ball over."

Wilton (1-3) has lost to teams with a combined 9-1 mark, including a four-point decision to unbeaten Trumbull and in overtime last week to New London.

Though it was unable to generate much offensively -- Carroll was 7 of 23 for just 68 yards, half of which came on one play, with two interceptions -- the outcome was not decided until Darien quarterback Chris Allam's 40-yard touchdown pass to Clay Barker with 5:39 remaining.

"They outplayed us," Wilton coach Bruce Cunningham said. "Their defense just outplayed our offense and made the plays they had to make. That's one of the best defenses I've seen. They whipped us up front."

There was no foreshadowing of what was to come as Darien took the opening kickoff and drove 84 yards in 15 plays, resulting in Allam's 4-yard touchdown pass to Will Weinstock with 6:16 left in the opening quarter.

Five of the first six plays were passes, a deviation from Trifone's strategy coming in.

"We were a little run heavy the first three weeks and today we wanted to air the ball out," he said.

That was about then only time the offense ran smoothly for the Blue Wave. Their opening possession of the second half saw them travel 92 yards in 15 plays over 7:32, but CJ Raia's 21-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter was blocked.

That set the stage for the telling sequence of the night, interceptions on three straight plays, the biggest one coming in the end zone by the Warriors' Ned Hemmerle.

Allam was 16 of 26 for 218 yards and a pair of interceptions, and ran for 66 yards, but it was the Blue Wave's defense that kept taking the field and cleaning up the mess.

"I play on offense too so I'm one of the ones who gets the brunt of it," Kunze said. "It's something we've got to deal with. Some of our drives were pretty lengthy. We had too many turnovers and some penalties, but our defense is a veteran group and can handle it."